Packaging & Labelling

Food manufacturers are at the risk of running out of packaging and need to plan accordingly, warns Lloyd's Register

Coronavirus sparks food packaging shortage risks

By Gwen Ridler

Shortages in packaging supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) due to the coronavirus could spark compliance issues for food and drink manufacturers, according to food safety assurance specialist Lloyd’s Register.

Four of the world's biggest food manufacturers have been accused of excessive plastic pollution

Top brands named worst offenders for plastic pollution

By Gwen Ridler

Coca-Cola, Nestlé, Unilever and PepsiCo are responsible for half a million tonnes of plastic pollution burnt or dumped in just six developing countries, according to a report from non-governmental organisation Tearfund.

Aluminium bottles offer an infinitely recyclable resource, but does the cost outweigh the benefits?

Aluminium gets infinite makeover

By Paul Gander

Ball Corporation has emphasised the ‘infinite’ recyclability of its newly-launched Infinity impact-extruded aluminium bottle, recasting it as ‘a circular solution to plastic pollution’.

OPRL's new labels have revealed the imitations of a binary system

OPRL label shows need for trade-offs

By Paul Gander

As non-profit organisation OPRL (On-Pack Recycling Label) consolidates its new ‘binary’, rules-based system for indicating materials’ recyclability, some of the challenges with this more rigid type of approach are starting to emerge.

Packaging Innovations will highlight the latest trends and technology in the industry

Packaging Innovations 2020

Plastic in perspective

By Noli Dinkovski

With plastic packaging now coming in for widespread consumer criticism, this year’s Packaging Innovations show sets the stage for industry to debate, discuss and find solutions that are eco-friendly and address concerns over carbon footprint.

Finding alternatives to plastic packaging presents it own set of problems

Substituting plastics can conceal risks

By Paul Gander

Brand owners and retailers pressured into finding alternatives to plastics packaging may simply replace current problems with different future ones, potentially resulting in much higher carbon footprints, while having no impact on whole-system sustainability,...

New rules for nutrition labels could prove impractical to action

Practical issues of new food packaging guidelines

By Gwen Ridler

The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA’s) new guidance on allergen labelling changes for prepacked for direct sale food does not resolve some of the practical issues of complying with the new legislation, an expert in allergen law has claimed.

Tesco and Cow & Gate have recalled 15 products in the 7+month range of baby food products

Baby food recalled due to tampering

By Gwen Ridler

Cow & Gate and big four retailer Tesco have launched a voluntary recall of 15 varieties of baby food over concerns that some of the jars might have been tampered with.

Lynch: 'Unless we... start believing in 100% rPET, we won’t get the investment we need in improving the quality of waste recycling'

Belu makes the case for 100% rPET

By Paul Gander

Sustainability-conscious water brand Belu has justified moving its bottles from 50% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) to 100% rPET, while avoiding options such as aluminium.

Claims into packaging with ‘enhanced biodegradability’ are underway

Biodegradable packaging additive claims spark debate

By Paul Gander

Numerous commercial trials of a packaging additive said to “enhance biodegradability” in landfill and the ocean, while not interfering with recycling, and which can be added to standard fossil-derived plastics, are under way.

Coca-Cola said the adverts are designed to encourage shoppers to recycle

Coca-Cola hits back at ad complaint

By Rod Addy

Coca-Cola European Partners has rejected criticism of Christmas advertising promoting the green credentials of its packaging for not being 'single use'.

Quick pulse heat uses alternating focused heat and water cooling to form a narrow seal

Heat sealing method for bags unveiled by GIC

By Paul Gander

UK machinery manufacturer GIC is now able to integrate quick pulse heat (QPH) sealing into its bagging equipment, improving production and materials efficiency.

The EU’s single-use plastics directive requires all PET bottles to contain at least 25% rPET by 2025

Brands bite the bullet on recycled plastic price

By Paul Gander

Regulatory and consumer pressure is likely to mean brand owners and retailers remaining committed to using recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) in their bottles, despite being more expensive than virgin polymer.

PPMA Total Show 2019: photo gallery

PPMA Total Show 2019: photo gallery

By Paul Gander

From the latest machinery launches by Ishida to developments in polymer labels, we look at some of the highlights at this year’s PPMA Total Show in this photo gallery.

Retailers now recognise the machinery sector’s ability and willingness to help tackle the environmental challenges facing packaging

Ulma revisits machinery manufacturers’ role in packaging innovation

By Paul Gander

Ulma Packaging backs sustainable packaging initiatives across the food industry. In an exclusive interview from the heart of the PPMA Total show at Birmingham’s NEC earlier this month, Ulma’s UK sales director Ed Williams told Food Manufacture about the...

RFID tags could see a major rollout across the food sector soon, according to PragmatIC

Lower-cost RFID rollout on horizon

By Paul Gander

A future role for lower-cost, item-level tags in areas as diverse as materials recognition for reverse vending, odour detection for in-pack freshness indicators and wider consumer engagement, is being predicted by radio frequency identification (RFID)...

The edible code can be used to tell consumers allergen information, ingredients and the point of origin for food products

Edible code reduces need for packaging

By Gwen Ridler

A new edible, scannable code has been developed for food applications, reducing the need for packaging and allowing consumers to track products from farm to fork.

Unilever will attempt this by strengthening innovation in new business models

Unilever to halve plastics by 2025

By Dan Colombini

Manufacturing giant Unilever has announced that it will halve its use of virgin plastics by 2025, cutting that usage by 100,000 tonnes (t).

Microplastics pose a risk to human health, claim experts. Image by Oregon State University shared under a Creative Commons 2.0 licence

Microplastics harm human health, warn experts

By Gwen Ridler

Human health could be at risk from microplastics – small pieces of plastic less than 5mm in length – according to researchers at the University Medical Centre Utrecht.

Gander: ‘Environmental and commercial balance in the regulatory framework has been jeopardised by the EU’s recent moves’

Opinion

Unintended outcomes of packaging legislation

By Paul Gander

Food Manufacture’s packaging correspondent Paul Gander discusses the impact that new packaging legislation would have on materials sourcing and use.

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